Office of the Secretary of Defense

The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It is the principal civilian staff element of the Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out authority, direction and control of the Department of Defense in the exercise of policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal, and program evaluation responsibilities. OSD (along with the Joint Staff) is the Secretary of Defense’s support staff for managing the Department of Defense, and it corresponds to what the Executive Office of the President of the United States is to the President for managing the whole of the Executive branch of the federal government.

OSD includes the Immediate offices of the Secretary (SECDEF) and the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF), as well as five Under Secretaries of Defense in the fields of Acquisition, Technology & Logistics; Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer; Intelligence; Personnel & Readiness; and Policy. All of these positions are Presidential appointments which require U.S. Senate confirmation.

Other positions include the Assistant Secretaries of Defense, Assistants to the Secretary of Defense, General Counsel, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, Director of Administration and Management, and such other staff offices as the Secretary establishes to assist in carrying out their assigned responsibilities.

Composition of OSD

2008 Office of the Secretary of Defense Structure.

The Secretary and Deputy Secretary manage several Under Secretaries each of whom in turn manage several Assistant Secretaries of Defense. There are also several special officers reporting directly to Secretary of Defense.

Major elements of OSD (listed hierarchically):

• Secretary of Defense (SecDef) and Deputy Secretary of Defense (DepSecDef)
  • Special officers reporting directly to Secretary and Deputy
    • Executive Secretary of the Department of Defense (ExecSec)
    • Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO)
    • General Counsel of the Department of Defense
    • Intelligence Senior Intelligence Oversight Official (ATSIO/SIOO)
  • Assistant Secretaries reporting directly to Secretary and Deputy
    • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs (LA)
    • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (PA)
    • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chief Information Officer (OSD-CIO)
  • Under Secretaries
    • Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer (C/CFO)
    • Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L)
      • Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment (I&E)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (L&MR)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs (NCB)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (R&E)
      • Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base
    • Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (I)
    • Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (P&R)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (HA)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (RA)
    • Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (P)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs (GSA)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs (HD&ASA)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (ISA)
      • Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities (SO/LIC&IC)
  • Directors
    • Director of Administration and Management (DA&M)
    • Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE)
    • Director of Family Policy
    • Director of Force Transformation
    • Director of Net Assessment
    • Director of the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight
    • Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E)
    • Director of Small Business Programs

Former elements

• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (NII)
• Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)

Major reorganizations

The composition of OSD is in a state of consistent flux, as Congress and DoD routinely create new offices, redesignate existing ones, and abolish others.

Obama Administration changes

During the Obama administration, Congress has sought to clarify the organization of OSD, and has worked with the Department to move toward a standardization of official naming conventions. Many Defense officials, including the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF), all five Under Secretaries of Defense (USDs), and all Assistant Secretaries of Defense (ASDs), as well as any officials specifically designated in U.S. Code^[1] have historically been considered Presidentially-Appointed, Senate-Confirmed (PAS) officials, in that the Senate must provide "advice and consent" for each individual before he or she can operate in an official capacity. In a March 2009 letter, Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee, wrote that the Department was apparently exercising the authority to appoint other significant officials - termed Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense (DUSDs) - "without statutory authorization, without limitation, and without Senate confirmation." Levin was "concerned that the proliferation of DUSDs at multiple levels of the organization could muddy lines of authority and may not be in the best interest of the Department of Defense."^[2] Subsequent legislation established five Senate-confirmed Principal Deputies (i.e., "first assistants"), one for each Under Secretary of Defense.

The FY10 NDAA gave the Department of Defense until January 1, 2011, to eliminate or redesignate all other Deputy Under Secretaries who are not Principal Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense (PDUSDs). The FY11 NDAA extended this deadline to January 1, 2015. During that time, the Secretary may, at his or her discretion, appoint within OSD five additional non-PAS DUSDs beyond the five statutory PAS-PDUSDs. The USD(I) appears to be maintaining at least three non-PAS DUSDs, although they have been renamed. The USD (AT&L) has maintained the non-PAS DUSD for Installations and Environment, though the FY11 NDAA recommended merging this post with the newly created ASD for Operational Energy Plans and Programs. The USD(P) has maintained a non-PAS DUSD for Strategy, Plans, and Forces, though the FY11 NDAA recommended eliminating this position.

Nevertheless, a number of positions have been redesignated or eliminated during the Obama administration, pursuant to statutory language contained in the National Defense Authorization Acts of FY10^[3] and FY11.^[4] and subsequent internal DoD reports.^[5]

• DUSD = Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, ASD = Assistant Secretary of Defense, DASD = Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

See also

• The Air Staff
• Headquarters Marine Corps
• The Joint Staff
• Office of the Secretary of the Army
• Office of the Secretary of the Navy
• Office of the Secretary of the Air Force

References

1. ↑ Title X, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 4, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sup_01_10_10_A_20_I_30_4.html
2. ↑ ODAM (April 2010). "Revised Organizational Structure for the Office of the Secretary of Defense" (PDF). Report to Congress. Department of Defense. pp. 33–34. 
3. ↑ 111th Congress (October 28, 2009). "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010" (PDF). Government Printing Office. H.R. 2647 
4. ↑ Title IX, Subtitle A, Section 901, Part b, Section 4, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr6523enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr6523enr.pdf
5. ↑ ODAM (April 2010). "Revised Organizational Structure for the Office of the Secretary of Defense" (PDF). Report to Congress. Department of Defense. 

External links

• Office of the Secretary of Defense
• Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AcqWeb)

United States Department of Defense
Headquarters: The Pentagon Ashton Carter, Secretary of Defense Robert Work, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense (including Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities) Deputy Secretary of Defense Deputy's Advisory Working Group Office of Net Assessment Special Access Program Oversight Committee Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Director, Defense Research and Engineering Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Missile Defense Agency Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Technical Information Center Defense Threat Reduction Agency Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Acquisition University Defense Acquisition Board Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Defense Security Cooperation Agency Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Defense Contract Audit Agency Defense Finance and Accounting Service Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Defense Commissary Agency Department of Defense Education Activity DoD Human Resources Activity Military Health System Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Office of the Chancellor for Education and Professional Development Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Security Service Defense Information Systems Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency (Director) Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Defense Media Activity (American Forces Press Service, American Forces Radio and Television Service, Stars and Stripes, The Pentagon Channel) General Counsel of the Department of Defense Defense Legal Services Agency Director of Administration and Management Pentagon Force Protection Agency Washington Headquarters Services
Military Departments Department of the Army Secretary of the Army The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Assistant Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs General Counsel of the Army The Administrative Assistant The Army Staff: Chief of Staff of the Army Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Sergeant Major of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Chief of Chaplains Judge Advocate General Provost Marshal General Surgeon General U.S. Army field organizations: see Structure of the United States Army Department of the Navy Secretary of the Navy The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) General Counsel of the Navy Judge Advocate General Naval Criminal Investigative Service Naval Inspector General Headquarters Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Chaplain U.S. Marine Corps field organizations: see Organization of the United States Marine Corps Office of the Chief of Naval Operations: Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Director of Naval Reactors Chief of Chaplains Chief of Naval Personnel Surgeon General United States Navy field organizations: see Structure of the United States Navy Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Air Force Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Logistics) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) General Counsel of the Air Force Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Staff: Chief of Staff of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Chief of Chaplains Chief of Safety Chief Scientist Judge Advocate General Surgeon General U.S. Air Force field organizations: Major Commands Direct Reporting Units Field Operating Agencies
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Joint Requirements Oversight Council Director of the Joint Staff Joint Staff National Military Command Center Alternate National Military Command Center National Defense University
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National Guard Bureau Chief of the National Guard Bureau Air National Guard Army National Guard
Office of the Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service